Be Mine, Valentine
by Sakura's Unicorn
Summary: Co-authored with Kaze and Kiba. It's Valentine's Day in Konoha, but the duties of a shinobi don't stop on holidays. Sakura and Sasuke try to spend the day together, but the world conspires against them. SasuSaku. One-shot.


The second skin of his ANBU uniform cut the heavy air like a knife. Over the stone heads of Konoha's Kage, lightning illuminated the cloud cover. He could smell the coming rain.

With barely a click, he landed on the peak of a rooftop that gave him a clear view into her bedroom. She lay still, serene. His lip curled at her open shades. _So vulnerable._

The thunder rolled as he rode the wind to her balcony. A short tanto, gripped defensively, warded off the weak shuriken trap that triggered when his sandals touched the rail. _Not even a protective genjutsu_, he sneered then jerked, surprised by the weighty _plip_ of a raindrop on his head. Turning his mask to the sky, he watched the clouds rupture, flooding the darkened village.

Rain slicked the window, so he pressed open palms against the glass for traction. Slowly, silently, he pushed until it opened wide enough to slip inside—and yet, she never moved.

_Drip._

He stood near her bed.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

Watching.

_Dripdripdripdripdrip._

An ocean gathered under his feet, washing closer to the edge of her trailing blanket. With muscles coiled so tightly they hurt, he reached out. Fingertips hovered over the bare skin of her shoulder.

_Drip._

* * *

A late shift at the hospital had Sakura dropping into bed late on the night before Valentine's. Ino-pig had been on her case the day before to go shopping for something special to give to the boy she loved.

"Come on, Forehead! You have the hottest boyfriend in the village! You need to treat him special. He'll be getting gifts from lots of other girls, even though they know he's taken—women are just witchy that way. They'll try to steal him right from under your nose." She shrugged. "At least I would, if I wasn't your best friend, of course. You gotta lock this one in and get married before those skanks come sniffing around."

"Sasuke isn't impressed by _things_."

"All men want to know they're the center of your universe, Forehead. If you don't get him something, you're the worst girlfriend alive. He's _Uchiha Sasuke_, for god's sake!"

Walking home from the hospital, Sakura regretted taking on that extra shift now. She thought she'd have plenty of time to run to the marketplace and find the perfect Valentine's Day gift for Sasuke, but a last-minute emergency had her healing a terrified genin with two broken legs.

_I'm a horrible girlfriend. Poor Sasuke._ She was always working, didn't fuss over him hardly at all, and couldn't cook anything but onigiri which he was most likely sick of by now. For a moment, Sakura considered breaking into the closed weapon store for a gift, but her conscience told her that was going too far for a token of love.

She promised herself she'd get up first thing in the morning and buy Sasuke a basket of pretty, red tomatoes. She had the whole day off tomorrow to devote to him and him alone.

As she walked up the steps to her apartment, she heard the distant rumble of thunder and hoped Valentine's Day wouldn't be a washout. She wanted to spend the day in the sun with her favorite guy.

A huge yawn cracked her jaw as she kicked off her sandals. She undressed, tossing her things on the floor of her room in a trail leading to her fluffy bed, her eyes closing before her head hit the pillow.

She shivered in the depths of her slumber as a cool breeze ruffled the hair on the back of her head. _Did I leave the window open? Do I care?_ She'd only been asleep about a minute from the feel of it, so she drifted back down until she felt something wet touch her shoulder.

Instinct kicked in and her hand snapped out of the blanket, wrapping around a wrist and flipping the intruder over as she landed on him, the thin blade that she kept under her pillow to his throat.

Lightning flashed.

"Sasuke-kun?!"

* * *

Sasuke would admit to himself—and no one else—that he wasn't expecting her hand to shoot out and grab him so quickly. Sakura slept hard. But once she was latched on and he caught a glimpse of uncovered skin, he allowed himself to be pulled down and straddled. The knife at his throat made it that much more exciting.

"Sasuke-kun?!"

Pushing up his mask, he smirked sinfully. "You were expecting someone else in your room tonight?"

"I-I-" Her face was pink fire as she pulled up and pinned the sheet around her tightly. "I wasn't expecting _you_!" Her face darkened to red. "I mean, I wasn't expecting anyone! Especially not you! We talked about this, Sasuke-kun."

He wanted to roll his eyes—of course, he remembered the hundreds of 'talks' they'd had whenever Sasuke tried to make a move on her. He never would've guessed how painfully modest Sakura was. They'd been together for months and he hadn't gotten anywhere near second base. But he knew an eye-roll would start another lecture and that was the last thing he wanted when she was in bed with him, practically naked. So, he tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers gliding up her jaw line. "I know we have, Sakura. I can wait." He leaned in to claim his prize—her sheet-enveloped body pressed against his and a long, breathless kiss. Draping an arm over her hip, he attempted to pull her closer when her hands shot out, palms braced against his chest.

"Ugh. You're all wet. Sasuke-kun! Now my bed is soaked! Get up!" She fumed and he complied, knowing he was out of luck tonight. "How am I supposed to get any rest now?"

"You're not. The Hokage needs you. Team Akimichi was ambushed. Pretty bad. They're expected at the hospital in ten minutes."

"What? Shit!" Sakura picked clothes up off the floor and raced to the bathroom as fast as she could twined in the sheet. Suddenly, she stopped then came toward him. "I love you, Sasuke-kun…even if you are a waterlogged mess." Giggling, she pecked him on the cheek and shuffled away.

Warmth, starting from the spot she kissed, swept like wildfire across his face. "Sakura." She stopped with a hand on the doorknob. "Breakfast tomorrow?"

Her smile and nod made every frustration he felt evaporate. He'd wait as long as she needed him to if she'd just smile at him like that every day. Feeling a tug of emotion in his chest, he nodded and slipped out the window before he said something embarrassingly mushy.

* * *

Running into the hospital, soaked and cold from the downpour, Sakura was greeted brightly by one of the new, young nurses on staff.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sakura-sensei!" She handed her a file with notes profiling the status of the incoming team. Sakura glanced at the clock as she walked quickly toward the OR and saw it was indeed 12:01. She flipped open the chart furrowing her brow.

"An ominous way to start the day," she murmured.

Sakura barked out orders to the waiting nurses as soon as she opened the door. Seeing out of the corner of her eye the injured being rushed in by ANBU, she hurried to change for surgery.

Almost four hours later, Sakura stepped out of the operating theatre to speak with one of the chunin's family—he was still in serious condition, but she expected him to recover fully. She was grateful the team had a qualified medic-nin to keep the others alive, or they most likely wouldn't have made it to the hospital in time.

Sakura stood at the desk and filled out a little paperwork, speaking with a different shift nurse, who, of course, asked her if she had Valentine's plans. She was very excited because her husband had promised to bring her to a new restaurant near the marketplace—very trendy and very spendy, the young bride laughed and Sakura smiled at her. Sakura told her she had plans to spend the day with her Valentine and asked her to wake her at seven o'clock, unless there was an emergency—she wanted to be close in case her patient had any more trouble.

That would give her only a few hours of sleep before meeting up with Sasuke, but she'd gone on less sleep before and for the rest of the day, she'd be able to relax. The nurse smiled, promising to wake her promptly at seven a.m.

There was an overstuffed chair in Sakura's office that was just perfect for napping. She snagged a pillow and blanket out of the supply closet and clicked the light off, curling up for a well deserved catnap.

A beam of fluorescent light crossed Sakura's closed eyes, waking her. She winced putting her hand up. She knew even before she glanced at the glowing face of the clock on her desk that it wasn't seven—it was still dark outside the windows.

"Sakura-sensei…" The nurse's voice interrupting her precious sleep sounded deeply apologetic. "Tsunade-sama is in her office. She requests that you come right away." She set a cup of coffee on Sakura's desk before excusing herself. Sakura sat up with a sigh, picking up the paper cup and taking a sip to help her wake up.

Tsunade held her hand up before Sakura could get a single word out.

"I know I'm asking too much of you. Sorry. Right now, I just don't have any choice, Sakura." Tsunade pushed aside a stack of files, so she could see her apprentice sitting down opposite her.

"The daimyo are here to meet with me this morning. Daimyo Shibuki from Waterfall brought his wife with him because she was under the weather and he wanted the best care for her. I just left her. I'm afraid if her appendix isn't taken out this morning, it'll rupture. I've scheduled you for her surgery in thirty minutes. Shizune will stay on in case Team Akimichi has any setbacks."

The Hokage put her hand to her head in irritation. "I'd do the surgery myself, but I have six crotchety, old men due in my office in half an hour. I need to smooth ruffled feathers over the official pardon of Uchiha Sasuke. Some of those dinosaurs hold grudges forever, but unfortunately, they are our bread and butter when it comes to escort missions. I can't afford to tell them what I think of their closed minds."

"It's okay, Shishou. I'll take care of Lady Shibuki. You take care of the politics."

Sakura smiled, a little disappointed. She'd miss breakfast with Sasuke, but she'd just have to make it up to him later. Tsunade-sama had given Sasuke a complete pardon after only three months of being on probation and, as much as he deserved it for his help in the war, not all had been thrilled. It hadn't taken Sasuke long to gain back most of their respect though. The last Uchiha was a powerful ally on any team. He'd proven his worth over and over since coming back home.

"Good girl." Tsunade smirked. "I knew I could count on you." The Hokage stood, pushing aside another stack of paperwork she wanted to avoid—moving it around the desk made Shizune think she'd actually gotten some work done, or so she thought. "Yare, yare, do you think it's too early to start drinking?" she asked, sighing. "I have a feeling it's going to be a long day." She put her arm around her apprentice, chuckling as they both exited her office.

* * *

The pot of tea on the table had long gone cold, as had the omurice Sasuke poked absently. _She's never this late._ He exhaled long and slow, checking the time again. _Three hours! Where is she?_

The waitress kept glancing at him—and not in the usual way. Usually, girls would sneak peeks at him and blush, the bolder ones staring and licking their chops. This girl was sending Sasuke death glares, her eyes darting from him to the line of couples beginning to form, anticipating romantic Valentine's Day lunches. Finally, she marched up to his table.

"Can I get you anything else, sir? The check maybe?" Her voice was poison-sweet with a smile so tight, her face was close to cracking.

"More tea."

She snatched the pot from his table, glaring one more time before storming off to the kitchen, the closing doors barely containing her string of profanities. Lacing his fingers in front of his mouth, he wondered if he should be worried about Sakura. Just as an ember of anxiety began to kindle, a bird alighted on the chair opposite. It was small and odd-looking, stark white ornamented with bold swirls of black. It pecked twice then shook out its feathers, speckling the tablecloth with ink. When Sasuke held out his hand, it leaped into his palm, unfolding into a letter from Sai.

_Good afternoon, traitor. _

_The Hokage has requested your presence at a gathering of daimyo in her office. How did she put it exactly? You need to get your sorry ass there on the double or she'll personally make sure you're the last Uchiha._

_Sai_

_P.S. The hag asked me to inform you that she won't make it for breakfast as she's performing an emergency surgery. I suppose I should've told you that several hours ago when she asked me to, but perhaps that shot to the head you gave me during yesterday's 'friendly' spar did some lasting damage._

Sasuke squashed the bird in his fist with an irritated splat. He threw down some bills, wiping the ink on the tablecloth.

"Thank you. Come again," the waitress sang from between tightly clenched teeth, her knuckles turning white around his new pot of tea.

_A gathering of daimyo? What the hell is this about?_ Sasuke wondered, threading his way through the square to Hokage Tower.

After a tap went unanswered, Sasuke banged his fist against the door of Tsunade's office before finally receiving permission to enter—and he was shocked at what he saw. What was supposed to be a dignified gathering of world leaders had somehow degenerated into a ferocious game of Cho-Han.

"Even!" yelled the Grass daimyo as he slapped down a wooden chip.

Lightning's leader coughed himself red in the face before wheezing, "Even."

"Oh, hell yeah! It's gonna be even. Even!" The lord of Water danced in his chair, tossing his bet down with gusto.

"Odd," the Snow daimyo said coolly, sliding three chips from under her sagging bosom.

"Now they fall!" Tsunade announced, silencing the rowdy group. She lifted the bamboo cup to reveal the dice. "Five-two. Odd!" There was a wave of groans and one lilting chuckle before the Hokage turned, seeming to notice Sasuke for the first time. "What the hell do you want?"

"You requested my presence at this…meeting."

"Right, right. Give us a minute." Sasuke wove his way toward a chair in the back of the room before Tsunade bellowed, "Where're you going?" It took him a minute to realize she meant him. "Glasses are empty. There's a bottle on my desk."

With a grimace, he grabbed the sake and filled the Rock Country daimyo's cup. He threw back the wine and held out his cup for Sasuke to refill without a word, jiggling it when Sasuke hesitated. _I'm a shinobi, not a wine steward_, he thought, glaring at the Hokage as she smirked.

"Hurry up, boy," said the Lightning daimyo. "I'm parched." When his cup was nearly full, he snatched it away, causing Sasuke to spill the wine. "_Tch_. Can't find good help anymore, can you, Tsunade-hime?"

"You're too right," she agreed, tipping her cup toward the daimyo. She brought the cup to her lips and frowned. "Uchiha! My cup is empty!"

Sasuke scowled and made his way to her chair. As he poured, she yanked him down by the collar, bringing his ear to her mouth. "Every one of these daimyo had a hand in your probation. Not every one of them is happy about it. They feel you owe them—they want to exact a pound of flesh. Consider yourself lucky that they'll take it in waiter service." She eyed him seriously until he nodded his acquiescence.

"Darling, boy," purred the aging Snow daimyo. "I would just love some of that delicious sake, if you please." His head swam as he entered her cloud of perfume. She chuckled softly as he filled her cup, her eyes taking in every inch of him. "Such a pretty boy, Tsunade. Are you sure he's the last of his kind?" She wrapped bony fingers around his elbow, pulling him closer. "You don't have an uncle or older cousin, perhaps, who would like to see the wonders of the Rainbow Glaciers, hm? Or maybe you'd like to have a peek yourself. Young flesh is so warm."

"I-I need to get another bottle!" Sasuke practically ran from the old lady, yelping when a gnarled hand pinched his rear. Slamming the door of the Hokage's private sake vault behind him, he gasped for air. "Shit! This could go on for hours!" He thought of Sakura alone on Valentine's Day and his stomach sank. With grim determination, he bit his thumb until he drew blood and invoked a summoning jutsu. "Habumaro, I need your help."

The young snake bowed. "I am, as alwaysss, at your ssservice, Sssasuke-sssama."

Hurriedly, he scribbled a note. "Sakura's in surgery right now, but when she's done, give this to her."

When the snake disappeared with in a plume of smoke, Sasuke thunked his head against the wall. "This is going to be a long day." He shouldered a cask of sake and trudged back to the daimyo's meeting.

* * *

Midafternoon found Sakura hopped up and jittery on her forth cup of coffee after a late surgery. She'd grabbed the last cup without thinking as she headed down to the hospital gift shop to see if she could find anything that might appeal to Sasuke. She couldn't leave the hospital until Lady Shibuki came out of recovery, she'd given her a final check up, and handed her over to the nurses' care. Only the best was expected for a hospital guest so important. But Sakura was afraid if she got stuck here too late, the stores would be closed again and she'd have nothing to give to Sasuke.

As she skipped over the get well cards and boo-boo bears with bandages on their heads to the cooler with the less than fresh flowers, she rubbed the irritating little ache settling in just over her left eyebrow. Puzzle books, magazines, decks of playing cards, gum, and ugly T-shirts that declaimed 'Konoha Hospital,' as if anyone would want to wear a cheap, cotton shirt proclaiming that, much less a man who had all his clothes handmade with his clan emblem stitched into them.

Sakura rubbed her forehead, covering her face with her hand. The trinkets in the hospital gift shop wouldn't speak volumes of her love—they only said she was a horrible girlfriend and cheap to boot. She almost relented and bought a heart-shaped box of candy when a nurse came into the shop.

"Sakura-sensei, Lady Shibuki is awake and asking for you."

Sakura set the hideous heart back on the counter with a sigh of relief—she knew that the candy was a terrible choice. Sasuke didn't even like sweets! Who would have thought a silly holiday about love would drive her to distraction?

"Thank goodness." She nodded, thanking the nurse. Sakura hurried upstairs to examine the daimyo's wife so she could get the hell out of there.

Forty-five minutes later, she knew she wasn't going anywhere.

It's true, the Lady Shibuki had been in danger of her appendix rupturing that morning, so it was a good thing they had been able to get her in so swiftly.

What Tsunade-sama hadn't told Sakura was that the elderly woman was a major hypochondriac. And now that she had "one of the best," Lady Shibuki was going to make sure Sakura knew every little thing that was wrong with her and some things that weren't, but she suspected. She was going to make sure she was tested for everything and then some.

Sakura stood, nodding and writing notes on the lady's chart, her stomach twisting from too much caffeine and having neither breakfast nor lunch with Sasuke. Despite her artificial surge, the medic-nin's energy was flagging. Nevertheless, she glued a smile on her face and kept nodding woodenly to the daimyo's wife as she ticked off her long list of maladies.

She must've zoned out, because Sakura didn't notice the snake as it slithered over her foot to get her attention. In fact, she didn't notice the little summons until he'd climbed halfway up her leg, twisting around her knee. When his tongue shot out and hit the back of her knee, she nearly jumped from her skin. Her eyes widened and she looked down, instantly recognizing Sasuke's favorite snake summons.

"Haruno-sensei?"

Sakura looked up at her patient, smiling. "Yes?" Her eye twitched.

"You weren't listening to me, were you?"

"Ah, summimasen, Shibuki-sama." She recovered quickly with a lie. "I was thinking of the best way to begin your tests."

Sakura felt the snake slithering up her leg and a hot flush rose to her cheeks. She wiggled her foot, trying to get the snake to climb down and wait, but she didn't want her patient to see it either. With someone as sensitive as the Lady Shibuki, Sakura was quite sure she'd freak out and injure herself if she saw a snake in her room.

"Well?" The high-brow lady looked at the young kunoichi expectantly, but Sakura's mind was on the snake, who'd slipped under her skirt, popping its head under her shirt on her side…where she was particularly ticklish.

"Ep-!" Sakura froze, her eyes wide.

"Which test is first?"

Sakura breathed again as the cool, smooth scales slid up her stomach, between her breasts. "Er, a round of blood tests then straight into X-ray for a CAT scan afterward." Sakura placed her hand over her chest to keep the snake from popping out of the front of her shirt. When deterred, Sasuke's faithful, but determined little summons snaked under her arm, coming up the back of her shirt, under her hair, its little tongue wriggling directly in her ear as it whispered softly.

"Sssakura-sssan, I have a messsage for you. Massster sssent me."

Sakura covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh. "Excuse me one moment, Shibuki-sama. I'll see if everything's ready for you."

She nearly ran from the room to the nurse's station across the hall. She pulled the snake from under her hair and one of the nurses dropped an armload of files, jumping on top of a desk. Giggling and telling her not to worry, Sakura knelt, setting the tiny snake on the ground.

"Habumaro-kun, what's all this about?"

The snake coughed and a note fell from its mouth, opening by itself. Sasuke apologized in advance, saying he was unavoidably working late at the Tower and didn't know when he might get away. He even went as far as drawing two linked hearts on the paper. Sakura melted. She knew he wasn't a flowery kind of guy. She picked the note up and put it in her pocket to save as a memento, snake spit and all.

"Can you bring a message back to him, sweetie?" Sakura smiled at the little hebi who nodded. "Okay, I want you to deliver it the exact same way you brought me mine and be sure to tell your master that was my instruction, please." She wasn't sure if Sasuke had taught the summons to deliver her message that way or not, but either way, it made it worth all the hassle of a late afternoon of monotonous tests for her to be able to make Sasuke sweat a little, thinking of his snake caressing her from toe to chin.

Also, she thought a little incentive might help him get through his own work faster and knowing his summons had touched more of her skin than him would be just the right amount of pressure. She blushed, thinking of the look on his face. She only wished she could see it.

She handed the summons her note and ordered the nurse to get the labs ready. She wanted the test results back within an hour of sending them down. She turned and marched back into Lady Shibuki's room.

Later that night, Sakura stole an apple from one of the lab techs, reading imaging, tissue, and blood results as she walked back upstairs, eating the fruit. As she thought, the only thing wrong with the daimyo's wife was her overactive imagination. Sakura stopped by Lady Shibuki's room, finished checking on her, and gladly told her she could travel after a good night's rest.

She dropped the file on the nurses' station as yet another nurse wished her a happy Valentine's Day, this one had roses on her desk that Sakura stopped to smell before she wished her goodnight, leaving the hospital. She sleepily thought that she now held the title for the village's worst girlfriend. She hadn't done a damn thing for her sweet, loving boyfriend. The day had been a complete wash.

Sakura yawned, half asleep as she trudged home, promising herself she'd make it up to Whatshisface tomorrow. She didn't end up sleeping on a bench only because her feet knew the way home automatically. Her pattern followed the day before, throwing her clothes off and falling into bed. The last thing she registered was the red glow of the alarm clock before she was dead to the world—

11:59

* * *

As expected, Sasuke's day had been long, tiring, and somewhat humiliating. He recognized that this one day's service had washed away years of transgressions and bad feelings. But if it had just been a matter of the various daimyo forgiving _him_, Sasuke would've never subjected himself to a day of pouring drinks, fetching dinner, being groped and otherwise abused. He'd done it for future Uchiha clan members—for Sakura and, he hoped, for their children.

_That was worse than the Fourth Ninja War_, he thought, scrubbing the day away in a hot shower. _I'll be glad to climb into bed and forget it ever happened._ As he toweled off, a twinge in his chest reminded him that he hadn't seen Sakura since this time yesterday. _Valentine's Day is over._ He knew in his heart that Sakura didn't need a specific day to show him how she felt about him, but he hoped she wasn't too disappointed to have missed the opportunity the day presented.

In his darkened room, he stepped into a pair of boxers and shuffled toward the bed. Numbly, he registered things on the floor. _Did I leave clothes there?_ He knew his orderly tendencies wouldn't allow for that, but he was too exhausted to investigate. _I'll figure it out tomorrow._ He burrowed into bed, turning into a comfortable sleep position, when he collided with a body. _What the hell? _He jumped, adrenaline jolting away any drowsiness.

"Mmm, Sas'kun."

"Sakura?!"

"Shh. Tired."

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Sleep'n."

"Here?" He jumped again when she wrapped an arm and leg around him, pulling him into an embrace. "Sakura? Where are your clothes?"

"Onna floor. Shushy."

He ran a hand across the soft skin of her muscled back, down to the curve of her panty-covered bottom. Tucking his face into her neck, he pressed a firm kiss to her throat. "Sakura…" She smelled good. Felt good. But he knew she'd never forgive him if he allowed her to spend the night bare in his arms. He found a shirt and, with some difficulty, popped it over her head, threading her flailing arms through the holes.

"You're m'best, Sas'kun. Hap Valtimes."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sakura." He kissed her sleep-slackened mouth once…twice…before bringing her close and wrapping them both in a blanket. "Best gift ever."

* * *

A month later, Sakura awoke from another rough night at the hospital. She stretched and yawned, ruffling her hair to wake up. The late morning sun pierced through the slats in her blinds, glinting off the white wrapping of a box sitting on her desk.

"White Day," she whispered.

Without stopping to read the note, Sakura ripped off the paper, a small box tumbling in to her palm. "You did not…" She squealed when she opened it, the hinges creaking. A diamond flashed in the sun. "Sasuke…" Her breath caught in her throat. She picked up the paper.

_I know the idea is to triple the gift you gave me, but that's impossible. I hope this comes close._

_I'll be back soon with breakfast. __Then we're going to see Tsunade about getting married._

_S_

* * *

We'd both like to thank all of you for taking the time to read and review our Valentine's Day offering (late as it is). We hope you enjoy the fic at least half as much as we enjoyed writing it. Thanks!

From SU: Another year, another Valentine's Day fic, K&K, but this time we actually got to write it together again...just like the first time! You're a great friend and a great author. Thanks!

From K&K: Happy Valentine's Day everyone!


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